The Sign Hub ribbon cuttingThe Sign Hub ribbon cutting The Sign Hub recently celebrated its relocation to 1224 East 14th Street in Russellville with a ribbon cutting on June 4. The business specializes in banner printing, vehicle wrapping and signage. For more information, call 479-747-6785.

RSD Summer Enrichment Program As many as 171 K-5 students in the Russellville School District have spent three weeks at Upper Elementary 5th Grade (UE5G) for the third-annual Summer Enrichment Program where they learned about various job opportunities and explored their career interests. “The Best Me I Can Be” is the program’s theme, and coordinators Krista Malin and Julieanne Hilton agreed the three units of focus aided students in becoming the most productive and educate...

Russellville voted state's best tasting waterCity Corporation operations manager Larry Collins always believed Russellville had good tasting water, but now he has the hardware to prove it. Russellville's water was determined "best tasting" at the Arkansas Water Works and Water Environment Association (AWW&WEA) state meeting in April in Hot Springs. Nine districts traveled to the event, and six cities participated in the blind taste test. Collins said it was more than just "bragging right...

JPs want to put more bite into animal ordinanceA committee formed by the Pope County Quorum Court (PCQC) met Thursday to discuss possible amendments to the current vicious/uncontrolled animal ordinance. After nearly two hours, JPs agreed to cull suggestions from other counties’ ordinances for possible implementation. The committee, headed by JPs Phil Haney, Caleb Moore and David Ivy, although not completely satisfied with the language of the current ordinance, agreed it’s mostly solid over...

Middle school bidding to start next weekDOVER — The final amended drawings and plans for Dover’s new middle school are completed and the bidding process will begin next week, with sealed bids expected to be opened July 14, according to Superintendent Jerry Owens during Thursday's School Board meeting. Board member Tom Hill, who represented the board at numerous planning sessions, said the planning had been done on an “extremely aggressive time schedule” with “intensive meetings and ...

Hector to purchase messageHECTOR — The Hector City Council voted at its monthly meeting Monday to purchase an electronic message board to improve communication in the community. After much discussion on several options (including a plastic change-a-letter type sign which the council felt might prove too attractive to the mischievous of young residents), the council authorized Mayor John Riley to order a LED unit with the city’s logo and a programmable message panel on ...

Oakland Cemetery to include columbariumsThe Oakland Cemetery Commission approved a plat for a memorial garden addition that would include two columbariums during its regular meeting Tuesday at City Hall. Commissioners reviewed hexagonal structures that hold urns, called columbariums, and proposed costs from two companies. One columbarium would include 72 units and be placed along the north-south property line in the cemetery. A preliminary design for a memorial garden would include ...

Austin to Anchorage — on bikesTwenty-seven college students and recent graduates from the University of Texas at Austin passed through the River Valley on bicycles Wednesday as they made the 70-day, 4,687-mile trek to Anchorage, Alaska. They stopped at a Pottsville gas station long enough to share their story. The students are a part of a 72-bike organization called Texas 4000 for Cancer, a nonprofit group that raises money and awareness for cancer research and care. It’s ...

PCQC Justices to discuss 'at large' animalsThree members of the Pope County Quorum Court (PCQC) will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Atkins School District administration building to discuss options in handling vicious and intractable animals brought to the PCQC’s attention at its regular June 4 meeting. Pope County resident Debbie DuVall told the justices about an unnamed neighbor whose dogs run free, attacking members of her family and the neighborhood and damaged her property. Two re...

Local business owners sentenced in scamPHILADELPHIA — Calvin Duncan, 63, a former Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) employee who shipped illegal items to Russellville business owners, was sentenced last week to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for a scheme to defraud the city of Philadelphia of more than $1 million. Duncan, of Philadelphia, worked as a mailroom clerk and was responsible for purchasing supplies, including printer ink and toner cartridges, ...

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Sean Ingram and Adam FranksThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Because we canStudents in Arkansas Tech’s new service organization, Because We Can, organized “Clean Out for Kids” as residents of Tech dorms vacated their rooms for the summer. The group is sponsored by Dr. Sean Huss of the Behavioral Sciences Department. Huss and Sue Hastings-Bishop (pictured), visiting lecturer in the Tech Parks and Recreation Department, coordinated the students’ placement of collection boxes in 14 Tech dorms. Departing students donated...

Tech honors retiree Morgan with receptionJulie Nebben Morgan, an alumna of Arkansas Tech University and member of the university staff since 1998, is retiring effective June 30. During her nearly two decades on the Tech staff, Morgan has served in the roles of assistant to the president (1998-2004 and 2008-present) and director of alumni relations (2004-08). Morgan oversaw planning for the Arkansas Tech centennial celebration and the inauguration of Dr. Robin E. Bowen as the 12th pre...

Locals in Shakespeare productionTwo Arkansas River Valley residents will perform with the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre this season in its productions of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Merchant of Venice.” Holly Ruth Gale of Russellville will play the roles of Fruma Sarah and Shaindel in Stein's classic “Fiddler on the Roof.” Gale has been an associate professor of music at Arkansas Tech University since 1997. This is Gale’s fourth season with Arkansas’s only professional Shakesp...

Locals in Shakespeare productionTwo Arkansas River Valley residents will perform with the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre this season in its productions of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Merchant of Venice.” Holly Ruth Gale of Russellville will play the roles of Fruma Sarah and Shaindel in Stein's classic “Fiddler on the Roof.” Gale has been an associate professor of music at Arkansas Tech University since 1997. This is Gale’s fourth season with Arkansas’s only professional Shakesp...

Joe Fisher is new superintendent at AtkinsAn Arkansas Tech University graduate who started his education career at Dardanelle has been selected to be the next superintendent for the Atkins School District. The Atkins School Board called a special meeting Friday and voted to hire Joe Fisher as superintendent. He replaces Mark Gotcher, who resigned after he was named the deputy commissioner at the Arkansas Department of Education on May 30. Fisher said Saturday he was very happy to get ...

First night of MAOT preliminaries THE COURIER / Submitted During the Thursday night preliminary for the Miss Arkansas’ Outstanding Teen (MAOT) pageant, the Alpha group competed in talent and the Beta group competed in active wear and evening gown. Alpha awards are for the young ladies competing in the MAOT pageant for the first time. All alpha award recipients receive a $100 cash scholarship that is sponsored by the Miss Arkansas Executive Director’s Association. Thursday over...

Cleaning up Atkins still very hot topicATKINS — The City Council continued to discuss unsightly and unsanitary properties during its regular meeting Tuesday. Atkins Mayor Jerry Don Barrett said City Attorney Bill Swain will look into the possibility of some kind of criminal (misdemeanor) offense against those who have done nothing to clean up their properties, despite citizens signing petitions, and first-term Alderman Bro Price bringing them to each council meeting. “I think we ha...

Man flees, arrested with 2 for meth chargesDANVILLE — Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey announced the arrest Wednesday night of a Russellville man and two Havana residents who face charges relating to methamphetamine. A press release from the Yell County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) indicated Bradley Murl Buckman, 31, of Russellville was arrested early Thursday morning on State Highway 154 east of Centerville. Also arrested were Russell Ray Gorman, 37, and Kalyn B. Stark, 33, both of Havana. ...

Appleton investigationAPPLETON — The Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and Arkansas State Police (ASP) are investigating the death of a person who was found Wednesday night in a field. A press release stated PCSO and ASP officers responded to an Appleton address just after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after they received a report of a body located in a vacant field. Deputies located an unidentified individual who was determined to be deceased. Both the PCSO and ASP are wo...

Lawmakers seeking more feedbackWASHINGTON — All four U.S. Representatives and both U.S. senators who represent Arkansas joined Rep. Lamar Alexander and requested Tuesday that the Department of Energy (DOE) extend the comment period for the need and feasibility review of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project. U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) of Dardanelle — along with Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-01), French Hill (AR-02), Steve Womack (...